The concept of billboard-type advertising is well-known. Billboards prominently displayed along the nation's highways have been used for decades. Billboards have become an increasingly important type of advertising for the alcohol and tobacco industries because of restrictions on alcohol and tobacco advertising on television and radio. Billboards also are an important form of advertising for local events and attractions such as fairs, festivals, auctions as well as the opening of local businesses such as restaurants and retail establishments.
Another common type of outdoor advertising is the use of portable billboards carried by planes and automobiles. Specifically, it is well known to fly airplanes carrying banners that promote local events, services or products above crowds gathered at a large stadium for a sporting event. Lately, it has become a common practice to employ a truck or a van to transport a billboard-type display in crowded cities and towns advertising a new product, event or service.
However, there has been no successful portable, outdoor billboard-type advertising scheme employed in marine environments. Specifically, it would be highly beneficial to provide a marine vessel capable of providing billboard-type advertising along crowded beaches or parks located next to a coastline. Local events could be advertised to large numbers of vacationing consumers and the marine-based billboards would also be an effective means of advertising for alcohol and tobacco products.